The Ebony Hillbillies

The Ebony Hillbillies
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Genres	Old-time, Americana, blues, folk, country, jazz
Years active	1980s–present
Labels	EH MUSIC
Members	Henrique Prince William Salter Gloria Thomas Gassaway Reggie “A.R.” Ferguson Newman Taylor Baker Allanah Salter Iris Thomas Olden Dave Colding Ricky “Dirty Red” Gordon
Past members	Norris Washington Bennett
Website	http://www.theEbonyHillbillies.com [1]

The Ebony Hillbillies is an American old-time string band based in New York City. ^[2]

A recording of their music is held in the archives of the Smithsonian Institution's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. ^[3]

History

During the 1980s, Henrique Prince began putting together a band due to "an idea of specializing in dance music, because I really liked the idea of the violin as a dance instrument." ^[4] He also wanted to make "music African Americans used to perform and dance to before they found the blues and jazz and the other stuff became associated with grizzled mountain white guys". ^[5] Based in New York City, ^[6] The Ebony Hillbillies began performing on New York subway platforms. ^{[7] [8]} As the band continued to perform they were invited to perform in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, ^[9] Washington state's Wintergrass Festival, ^[10] and the Kennedy Center. ^[11]

Members

• Henrique Prince: violin, vocals ^[12]
• Gloria Thomas Gassaway: bones, lead vocals
• Reggie “A.R.” Ferguson: washboard, “cowboy" percussion kit (consisting of organic wood and metal materials)
• William “Salty Bill” Salter: acoustic bass, voice
• Newman Taylor Baker: washboard
• Allanah Salter: vocals

Additional members

• Ricky “Dirty Red” Gordon: washboard, percussion
• Dave Colding: acoustic bass, vocals
• Iris Thomas: vocals
• AW: banjo, bass

Deceased

• Norris Washington Bennett: Five-string banjo, mountain dulcimer, lead vocals

Discography

• 2004 — Sabrina's Holiday (EH MUSIC)
• 2005 — I Thought You Knew (EH MUSIC)
• 2011 — Barefoot and Flying (EH MUSIC)
• 2015 — Slappin' A Rabbit - Live! (EH MUSIC) ^[13]
• 2017 — 5 Miles From Town (EH MUSIC) ^{[14] [15] [16] [17] [18]}

Further reading

• Fischlin, Daniel (2013). The fierce urgency of now : improvisation, rights, and the ethics of cocreation. Ajay Heble, George Lipsitz. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN   978-0-8223-5464-2. OCLC   817799607.
• Hubbs, Nadine (March 18, 2014). Rednecks, Queers, and Country Music. Univ of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-95834-0.
• Pecknold, Diane (July 10, 2013). Hidden in the Mix: The African American Presence in Country Music. Duke University Press. ISBN   978-0-8223-5149-8.
• Ritchie, Fiona; Orr, Doug (September 29, 2014). Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia. UNC Press Books. ISBN   978-1-4696-1823-4.

References

1. "The Ebony Hillbillies - 5 Miles From Town". Airplaydirect.com.
2. "Martha Redbone and The Ebony Hillbillies". Routes-mag.com. June 12, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
3. "Ebony Hillbillies". Music.si.edu. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
4. "The Ebony Hillbillies: Becoming a Part of the Music". Thebluegrasssituation.com. September 22, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
5. "Spreading good cheer". Los Angeles Times. December 25, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
6. "Press Pass: The Ebony Hillbillies". Fcnp.com. July 1, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
7. "'Ebony Hillbillies' bring down home sound to streets and stage". Thegrio.com. June 8, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
8. "The Ebony Hillbillies Bring String Band Music to The Parrish". Sagharborexpress.com. September 3, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
9. "The Ebony Hillbillies Will Appear at Town Hall's Black History Month Educational Series". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
10. Thompson, Richard (February 27, 2008). "The Ebony Hillbillies". Bluegrasstoday.com. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
11. "The Ebony Hillbillies". Kennedy-center.org. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
12. "EH music - EH band". Theebonyhillbillies.com. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
13. McCauley, S. (April 29, 2015). "Americana folk heroes the Ebony Hillbillies release new live album 'Slappin' a Rabbit – Live!'". Musictalkers.com. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
14. "The Ebony Hillbillies". Elmoremagazine.com. December 31, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
15. Wetnight, Rainey (April 22, 2019). "The Ebony Hillbillies – 5 Miles from Town : Album Review". Bluesblastmagazine.com. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
16. Miller-Gould, Dodie (December 14, 2018). "The Ebony Hillbillies bring current events to life with an old-school flair on "5 Miles From Town"". Lemonwire.com. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
17. Lindsay, Bruce (May 9, 2019). "Ebony Hillbillies: 5 Miles From Town". Jazzjournal.co.uk. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
18. "The Ebony Hillbillies - 5 Miles from Town (EH Music)". Jazziz.com. April 1, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2021.

External links

• Official website